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Obama Cracks Wise, Raises Over $2 Million In NYC
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 28, 2011
Modified Apr 28, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 28, 2011
Modified Apr 28, 2011
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Three fundraisers in NYC last night raised an estimated $2 million or more for President Obama, who began two of his appearances by telling those in attendance, "My name’s Barack Obama. I was born in Hawaii." At the Upper East Side home of former NJ Governor John Corzine, Obama spoke to 60 donors who paid up to $35,800 a plate to attend; the Times reports that as he looked around the room, "crowded with sequined women in Christian Louboutin designer shoes," Obama said, "Everybody here almost by definition has lived out that American dream. The question is, will that same story be told by our children and grandchildren? Will it be told by the folks who do all the work here in New York City and across the country, washing dishes?" He also joked, "Nobody checked my I.D. at the door."
Then it was on to the Waldorf-Astoria, where he spoke to 400 donors who paid $2,500 and up, and a third stop at Town Hall, where he addressed a younger crowd at a low-cost fundraiser that included a performance by The Roots. Two groups of protesters interrupted his speech, but it's unclear what they were protesting. (The Washington Post reports that one man shouted, "Guantanamo," when Obama acknowledged falling short of his goals.) As the Secret Service moved to eject two of the hecklers, The President said they could stay, and suggested that any others planning to interrupt speak up. “Let’s just knock it out right now,” he told the audience, and was met with silence.
“No man is an island," Obama said last night. "We’re not here by ourselves. That’s our vision of America. It’s not a vision of a small America. It’s a vision of a big America. I don’t want a cramped idea of America. I don’t want an idea of America that says `no we can’t’ and `we can’t afford to look after folks who need help.’... Part of this budget debate has to be about ending tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. I say that not because I want to punish success. It’s because if we’re going to ask all Americans to sacrifice a little bit we can’t just say, `Millionaires and billionaires, don’t worry about it. Just keep on counting your money.' "
Before hitting the piggy bank in New York, Obama and the First Lady swung through Chicago to tape an interview with Oprah Winfrey, which will air Monday as one of her final episodes. His appearance didn't escape the notice of Carl Campanile at the NY Post, who sneeringly reports, "Obama wasn't kidding when he said he didn't have time for distractions from birthers and their champion, Donald Trump. After his White House appearance, with birth certificate in tow, the president and the first lady jetted to Chicago and schmoozed with Winfrey during a taping of her final talk show." Asked by Winfrey why he waited so long to release his birth certificate, Obama said:
Two weeks ago a huge debate was initated about where our budget needs to go. During the course of this major debate where I gave a big speech and the Republicans voted on their proposal, the biggest news was this birth certificate thing. I said to my team, look, even though this is not usually what the state of Hawaii does... Even though the Republican governor of Hawaii, the Democratic governors of Hawaii, all the various officials had confirmed that I was born here, let's ask them for a special dispensation where they will go ahead and provide us with the original to see if we can put this to rest.
And in response to Obama's decision to release his birth certificate yesterday, likely presidential candidate Mitt Romney tweeted, "What President Obama should really be releasing is a jobs plan."
With the Republican fundraising machine unfettered by the Supreme Court, the Washington Post speculates that Obama "might need even more money than the $750 million he amassed in 2008 to win in states where his poll numbers have dipped — particularly in the Midwest." There's even speculation that he could run the first $1 billion dollar presidential campaign. In other words, get used to more gridlock!
Tagged
barack obama
birth certificate
election 2012
fundraising
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president obama
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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